1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to feed tubes for connecting paintball hoppers (or loaders) to a paintball gun, and more particularly to adjustable and clamping feed tubes for paintball guns.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional feed tubes are typically attached to a paintball gun by screwing a threaded portion of the feed tube into a receiving hole arranged near the breech end of the paint ball gun. Feed tubes provide a connection between a paintball hopper (or loader) and the paintball gun to permit paintballs from the hopper to feed into the breech of the paintball gun for launching. Hoppers typically include a storage chamber, a lid, and a neck. The neck is typically a hollow tube that fits into a receiving end of the feed tube, located opposite the threaded portion of the feed tube. The hollow portion of the hopper neck must be large enough to accommodate a paintball, which is typically about 0.68 inches in diameter. Unfortunately, however, there is no universally accepted standard for the outside diameter of the hopper neck and there is therefore variation between different hopper models.
More conventional feed tubes have included non-adjustable receiving ends, having a neck opening of a predetermined (fitted) size. Feed tubes with non-adjustable receiving ends rely on frictional engagement between the hopper and the feed tube to secure the hopper to the paintball gun. Although effective in situations where the hopper neck and feed tube opening have closely mating sizes, non-adjustable feed tubes often do not properly secure a hopper. If, for example, either the size of the hopper neck or the size of the fitted receiving end changes due to changes in temperature, the hopper may not be properly secured to the paintball gun. If the frictional engagement is not secure enough, the hopper neck may slip out of the fitted receiving end as a player moves or turns his paintball gun. Furthermore, hoppers are generally plastic, and thus the hopper flange may be easily damaged or worn out by repeated insertions and removals. Damage to the hopper neck negatively impacts its ability to properly engage with the fitted receiving end of the feed tube. And because many standards exist for hopper neck sizes, fitted receiving ends are incompatible with many hoppers.
More recently, various manufacturers have introduced feed tubes having adjustable receiving ends. Feed tubes with adjustable receiving ends generally allow a hopper flange to attach to a receiving end more securely than do fitted receiving ends. This more secure, adjustable fit solves many of the problems associated with pre-sized receiving ends, including the problems described above. However, conventional feed tubes with adjustable receiving ends often require tools to adjust a receiving end to release or secure a hopper. The use of tools requires a user to spend more time removing and securing the hopper, such as when setting up or putting away their equipment, or when clearing a jammed firing chamber. Additionally, the user needs to carry tools that may get lost during game play. The requirement for tools for securing and releasing a hopper is therefore undesirable to a paintball user both because of the time requirements and because it requires the user to carry and risk dropping and losing the appropriate tools.
Although feed tube designs have been introduced that do not require tools for adjustment, these do not typically provide as much clamping force as those that use tools. Twist-lock feed tube designs, for instance, where a user adjusts the size of the feed tube by twisting an outer portion of the feed tube, have become fairly common. The action required to tighten or release a twist-lock feed tube may also be time consuming depending on the number of turns required to adjust the tube to the appropriate size.
The paintball gun industry is in need of an adjustable feed tube that can be quickly resized to accommodate hoppers designed to different standards while providing sufficient clamping force. Users desire the ability to quickly and securely accommodate hoppers of different neck sizes without the use of tools. Various aspects and embodiments of the present invention address these and other problems associated with conventional feed tube designs.